China defended its military relationship with Sri Lanka as good for regional peace and stability after the rejection of a request to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month. Sri Lanka last allowed a Chinese submarine to dock in the capital of Colombo in October 2014, a move that triggered fierce opposition from New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday for a two-day official visit. China’s Defence Ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters, did not directly mention the rejected request for the submarine visit, but said they required a place to resupply on their way to anti-piracy missions.

“The stopping to resupply of our military’s submarines that are on their way to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for protection missions is an internationally accepted practice,” the ministry said.